Satchin Joseph Koshy Dr.

Rizio B Yohannan

The Rambling figure in Indian Music Structure.

The rambling figure as illustrated in Indian music structure allows ample freedom for the artists to maximum explore various possibilities for improvisation. This paper attempts to investigate the presence of the rambling figure by studying their operation in three songs From three different musical traditions of tamil nadu, kerala and the west.

Mani kaul in his essay the rambling figure contrasts the rambling figure as practiced in dhrupad , an Indian classical tradition, with improvisation in western jazz music. In jazz music one may change scales while a raag must continue to improvise and develop, in one word elaborate upon a single scale. Beneath the scale lies a specific movement between chosen tones, a certain continous/discontinous sequencing that leads to a particular and even a unique figure of the raag in question.( ) A certain scale can therefore produce three to four different raags. The figure is like a being in a body. Its not constructed objectively. It has to graciously evoked. Tha raagmala paintings visualize raag as a human form with its own cycle of waking and sleep.

A Hindustani raga can be described as a model melody type and it gives rise to a particular range of possibilities to communicate emotions and evoke moods. Also range of possibilities for structural development. A raga is modal as it comprises a certain number of of notes which are not altered during the rendition and which are classified according to their position in a set of scalar modes. It is a melody-type because it has a given, historically determined melodic shape. Within that shape and in accordance with a set of operational rules, the performer is free to develop the raga as he or she sees fit. The vistara is common to both karnatic and the hindustani classical traditions.

The performer is not just an interpreter of the song of the composer but also enlarges the scope of the composition with his own inputs. Such enlargement takes the form of commentary, extension, enrichment or embellishment of the ideation, affect, melody and rhythm given or intended by the composer in his song; thus he creates his own music, too. All this creation is extempore, a secondary creative imagination playing upon rather elaborating on the primary creative imagination of the composer. The quality of the elaboration can tell us a few things about the quality of the composition. The creative possibilities that is there lying dormant and came to life as the musician here breathes life into it. The rendering can be mere craftsmanship or superb artistry. Like in yoga the

musician disciplines his mind and body to experience that unity consciousness in communion with the infinite and experience total release from the constraints of flesh and matter.

This quality can be found even in the popular music made all over the country, despite the irreconcilable differences in terms of composition and rendition. Despite the constraints of commercial art production, composers attempt to exemplify this quality in their works. This could be unconscious as our collective memory retains certain fundamentals of our culture, of traditions rituals and so on and to a large extent defines our identity as a group, a state or a nation. For instance someone like a.r.rahman whose compositions derive their strength from his characteristic fusion of various music traditions, consciously or unconsciously follow this pattern and probably the universal appeal that his music now enjoys has much to do with the rambling figure that runs through his compositions, which is very likely inherent in his cultural memory as an Indian growing up in tamil nadu.

Ancient Indian art critics classified music(vocal and instrumental), dance and drama performance under one head. According to them the different arts are co-ordinated in drama performance itself. Vishnudharmotamapurana goes a step further and points out that painting, sculpture, dance, music cannot be studied in isolation without reciprocal reference to one another. Although these arts are different, they overlap one another.

In vishnudharmothamapurana, in a dialogue between bajra and markandeya, it is stated that one could not be proficient in painting if not aquainted with music (vocal and instrumental) and dance. They compare music and poetry to the milk flowing from the two breasts of goddess saraswati drinking which people can become proficient in music and literature.

If we include all creativity in arts here, except the creativity in science, and investigate the essence of these arts, we are likely to come to a conclusion that it is the word rasa that is common to all these arts. The necessary condition of every art. Most Indian writers wrote primarily on poetry and drama although their creativity took the shape of others arts like architecture, sculpture and painting. In addition to the rasa theory, several other theories came up for explaining these arts like the theories of alamkara, riti, vakrokti, dhvani and aucitya. Also additions and revisions as time moved on. But finally all these theories seem to have merged with the rasa theory which dominated the scene of art criticism.

Art as an activity of expression and communication requires a medium. Because what is to be expressed or communicated is something that is in the mind of the artist which he/she feels necessary to share with others. Its an overpowering feeling. It is the medium which helps to give shape to this experience stored in the memory, transformation of this something mental into something that has objectivity, publicness- so that it could be experienced by any other person. It could not remain private. Therefore one could employ

different mediums like sounds which could be interpreted in terms of its meanings, gestures or musicality, or figures, colors, lines, and cubes, plane figures and solids. In the case of music, expression of the musicians mind to musical notes is absolutely necessary for the transformation of something into music.

music is based on several factors. But basically it requires three constituents. One is called laya, the second is tala and the third swara. Music, whether vocal or instrumental, is a temporal art meaning when the music is played we move with time. We are governed by succession. But though time gives an impression that it is moving, in the context of music time is in the background and relatively constant. Time can be likened to the riverbed on which sound patterns move. Laya is a kind of temporal continuum, which also assumes the possibility of equal division. Laya as used in music requires correlate in the form of sound-gestalt superimposed on the time series. In its metaphorical use, laya not only gives the starting point of time of the musical composition, it also tells us how it flows. It is also a metaphorical use of flow (19)

We are now looking at three songs from three different parts of the world to see if the rambling figure is in operation there. The following song is from vinaithaandivaruvaaya, a tamil musical(feature film) directed by Gautam Menon and

composing done by A.R.Rahman. The song is illustrative of the indian music structure and the free play of the rambling figure within the constraints of any film song. The song is titled mannipaaya meaning a plead for forgiveness.

Mhh.

Kadalinil meenaha irunthaval thaan Unnaikina karaithaandi vandaval thaan Thudikurunthae tharayanillae Thirimpivittein kadalidammae

MHOHH..

Oru naal sirthein maru naal veruthein Unnai naan kollamal konrupudaithaenai Mannipaaya - 5

Kallai thada maari nadanthein Noolilaanamazhayaaki ponei Unnaalthaan kalanjinayaaneinai Tholaidoorathil nee unnai nokiyae Yennaeerkiraayae Melum melum urukee urukee

Unayil neeyengum idayathai en nasarai

Oedum neeril oralaye thaan naam Ullae ullaeu eeram neethan varam kidaithunaan thavaravittein mannipaayaa anpae kaatrilae aadum kaakitham naan nee than ennai kadithamaakinaayi anpil mudangi anpil mudikyirai en kalangarai vilakkamae

Oru naal sirithein maru naal veruthein Unnai naan kollamal konrupudaithaenai Mannipaaya 5

(choir singing)

Aein en vaazhvil vanthaayi kannaa nee Poovaayo kathal nee polae thonri Anaivarum urangidun iravidum naeram

Enakathu thalayana nanaithidum neram

Oru naal sirithein mannippaayaa

Kallai thada maari nadanthein Noolilaanamazhayaaki ponei Unnaalthaan kalanjinayaaneinai Tholaidoorathil nee unnai nokiyae Yennaeerkiraayae Melum melum urukee urukee Unayil neeyengum idayathai en nasairaie-3

The song begins with the introduction of a combination of notes in kadalinil meenaha irunthaval naan. kadalidamae. Then begins the elaboration at first tentatively then with more strength in the female voice. With the introduction of the male vocalist the song takes a different turn altogether, the rambling figure begins to operate here. The female part does the elaboration in a more restrained manner while the male part earnestly attempts to take the movement to unpredictable heights, evidently a clash between reason and passion. The female part strictly keeping with the scale while the male part improvising upon the scale. It is this friction that actually makes the song beautiful. In kaatrile aadum kaakitham naam the song touches unexplored areas and undergo that transcendence where one is clueless of its further movement.

The song also exploits the western harmony singing towards the middle where like in an opera the choir takes the song to its zenith before handing over the baton to the female and male vocalists who step by step take the song back to where it actually began. The elaboration of the scale in a truly remarkable fashion.

In case study two, madhuram jeevamrita bindu, whose first three lines of the first stanza is rendered with the accompaniment of a guitar. The song is from a Malayalam film chenkol directed by sibi malayil. This composition is by Johnson. Undoubtedly, one of his most haunting compositions to date.

The guitar is strummed differently each time to demonstrate the possibilities for improvisation that is inherent in its structure and also how with each improvisation the mood changes. Even such a minor change can effect significant addition in the mood and its conveyance. Singing is done without any alteration and its the guitar accompaniment that varies.

saugandhikangallai unaroo veendumen Mookamaam raathriyil Paarvanam peyyumee Ekanta yaama veethiyil.

The song is played in the e major scale for demonstration. In the first instance the strumming is light. The guitar is not seeking to provide rhythm (tala) here but remains in

the background as a living presence. their is no change at all in the strumming pattern as it reaches theekanta yaama veedhiyil. Ekanta, yaama and veedhiyil are played in F, G and A chords respectively. And the mood almost remains the same. The pathos of The ostracized character in chenkol doesnt come out here

In the second instance the song has in the background a loud guitar. A slightly more aggressive strumming against the kind of singing exemplified in the first. Here In the last line more pressure is applied on the strings as the strumming pattern all of a sudden becomes more aggressive and loud. Here the accompaniment, in loudness, dominates the vocals. But rhythm (guitar) and the marked change in the last line in terms of tala is in keeping with the tension building. This suits the song better but there is something wanting as the strumming pattern in a way completely overshadows the vocals and the pathos and helplessness of the character goes unnoticed.

The third time the guitar maintains a medium sound close to the first instance. But when it finally reaches the last line, from ekanta onwards the notes are plucked individually. Here there is no extra pressure applied on the strings neither it is loud. There is no deliberate attempt to provide rhythm. But the marked change is in the last line, with ekanta meaning lonely, the notes are individually brought out. This sets the stage for further improvisation in the next line. This conveys the mood more effectively.

In the next case study the attempt is to investigate the rambling elements in a typically western song. Queen a famous western band of the 80s and 90s came up with the song Too much love will kill you, incidentally released after the death of their brilliant vocalist Freddy Mercury. The song is co-authored by brian may (queen guitarist), frank musler(musician) and Elizabeth lamers(jazz musician). All the three shared the prestigious ivor novella award for the song in 1997. Elizabeth lamers (jazz musician). And composed by the band together. Brian may performed the song at the Freddy mercury tribute concert

Too much love will kill you

I am just the pieces of the man I used to be Too many bitter tears are raining down on me I am far away from home And I am facing this alone For much too long

I feel like no one ever told the truth to me About growing up and what a struggle it would be In my tangled state of mind

I have been looking back to find Where I went wrong Too much love will kill you If you cant make up your mind Torn between the lover And the love you will leave behind You are headed for disaster Because you never read the signs Too much love will kill you every time

I am just the shadow of the man I used to be And it seems like theres no way out of this for me I used to bring you sunshine And all I ever do will bring you down

How would it be if u were standing in my shoes Cant you see that its impossible to choose? No theres no making sense of it Everywhere I go I am bound to lose

Too much love will kill you Just as sure as none at all It will drain the power thats in you

Make you plead and scream and crawl And the pain will make you crazy Youre the victim of your crime Too much love will kill you Every time

Too much love will kill you It will make your life a lie Yes too much love will kill you And you wont understand why And you would give your life Youd sell your soul But here it comes again Too much love will kill you In the end In the end

Though not as evidently as in the eastern sense, the rambling figure operates here in various forms ranging from modulation, loudness, pronunciation and silence. Their

presence in the song makes it truly beautiful and is instrumental in the communication of the idea with the receiver.

The song through out employs loudness and silence in varying degrees. There is a sudden increase in volume in the refrain (the first time) too much love will kill you and in fact the volume goes down just before attempting the chorus. The fading part paves the way for the loud part. All the stanzas talk about the irrevocable state of the narrator whose pain is expressed in Its subtlety with these techniques. Except in the fourth stanza the stanza part is comparatively rendered softly. In the fourth stanza he is actually raising a question to the whole of mankind. This is done comparatively loud how would it be if you were standing in my shoes. In the next line cant you see that its impossible to choose the vocal becomes as thin as a strand of hair. Though there is no modulation in terms of scale, modulation in volume runs through the composition. The kind of fading which borders on silence is curiously attractive. Among the choruses, the last chorus, when done in restraint without opening up the throat, the resignation and pain is complete. The rest of the choruses are rendered loudly.

The pronunciation aspect is also important as certain words when pronounced in a certain way adds colour and variety to the whole thing. The struggle in the 7th line, rendered stressing the r part, is more attractive and the struggle really comes out there. The second last chorus when the narrator categorically states that he is is the victim of a crime that he himself committed the song touches its heights both in terms meaning and music.

The words like drain, scream, crawl, crazy and crime are intricately connected. And they are rendered with more pressure on the r sound. Here the lyrics and the music are not two entities but one. They merge into a unified whole and they are no more separate.

Thus the rambling figure transcends the east west traditions as its presence evident in these three different musical traditions and that it allows ample freedom for the artist to improvise.

Bibliography

Barlingay S.S ed. Bradley A modern introduction to Indian Aesthetic Theory. New Delhi: D.K Printworld, 2007. Print

Mutatkar Sumathi ed. Aspects of Indian Music. New Delhi: Sangeet Natak Akademy, 2006. Print